4. Awesome alternatives to tests exist
UC Berkeley in Berkeley, California does a fine job of listing creative projects its professors have used in lieu of offering final exams. When designed right, they still challenge students to cobble together the knowledge gleaned over the entire course of a semester with the same – if not more – accuracy than the typical test. Not every topic necessarily lends itself to a written analysis, so replacing the traditional format has its advantages in labs, public speaking and drama courses, and plenty more.
3. Teaching vs. Teaching to the exam
It’s the very same criticism often levied onto standardized tests – teachers (especially those who recycle their finals from semester to semester) often feel tethered to the material. A more organic education experience would hinge more on the syllabus than the analyses, though it makes perfect sense why educators roll with such a time-cutting measure. However, critics of the concept think this strategy curtails classroom discussions that veer off into different, but educationally viable, ideas.
SEE ALSO: THE TOP 100 COLLEGES WITH THE HARDEST FINAL EXAMS
2. Good students are already going to do well; Bad students are already going to do poorly
Some schools in Canada have already dismantled their final exam and midterm policies because they see these tests as extraneous. As teacher Cherra-Lynne Olthof points out, by the end of the semester students already possess a pretty clear idea where their grades are headed. To some extent, this might also prove indicative of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Students who already know they’re headed for crummy grades might intentionally perform terribly on their finals, even if they have a chance to redeem themselves through them.
1. Many consider the content rather “arbitrary”
“Why do we have to memorize this? We’ll never use it in the real world…” plagues ever so many (if not all) educators at some point in their career. Sometimes, though, the complaints regarding rote learning do come supported by genuinely good points and not just plain whining. Conducting final exams on subjects with little to no bearing on future careers seems pointless to many education professionals, who feel as if stress should lay more with valuable life and job skills, which DO need testing.
